1914 Buffalo Nickel

1914 was a fairly uneventful year for Buffalo nickels, a coin designed by James Earle Fraser. With several significant die variations made the previous year (which was also the first year of the Buffalo nickel series) to address accelerated die wear, the 1914 Buffalo nickel features only one design type. This design includes the bust of a Native American on the obverse and an American bison (colloquially referred to as a “buffalo”) standing atop a flat line on the reverse.

Mintage for 1914 Buffalo nickels were not as high as during the coin’s first year; the Philadelphia mint made 20,664,463, Denver struck 3,912,000, and San Francisco produced 3,470,000. These relatively thin numbers have resulted in all 1914 Buffalo nickels being scarce in the general sense, with the 1914-D serving as a definite semi-key coin for the series. In circulated grades, the 1914-D runs around $100; the 1914 will set most collectors back around $20 while the 1914-S dons a $35 price tag for examples in average circulated grades.

For Buffalo nickel collectors who like a little extra challenge, there are two additional varieties beyond the usual date-and-mintmark combinations. These include the 1914 4-over-3 variety, which has a value of around $400 in circulated grades and the 1914 matte proof Buffalo nickel, commanding $1,000 in PF-63.